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Fort Worth QDRO lawyer Adam Kielich helps clients with drafting QDROs and resolving QDRO problems in Tarrant County, Dallas and surrounding areas. QDROs can create long term challenges after a divorce due to the technical rules around their drafting and their impact on plan benefits. Hiring a QDRO lawyer who understands retirement plans can be critical to securing your retirement benefits after a divorce. Dallas and Fort Worth divorce lawyer Adam Kielich has experience working from the plan side with retirement plans including: 401k plans, defined benefit pension plans, ESOPs and deferred compensation plans. Divorce lawyer and QDRO lawyer Adam Kielich offers flat fee QDRO drafting for most plans. He also represents clients in court to resolve QDRO disputes. Learn more about QDROs and how he can help your with QDROs in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

QDRO is a Qualified Domestic Relations Order. A QDRO is an order issued under Texas family law after a divorce to divide an employer-sponsored retirement account. Assets contributed or accrued in a retirement plan during a marriage are community property in Texas and subject to division. The QDRO allows the employer’s plan to divide account and provide a portion to the non-employee spouse. QDROs are complex orders. They must comply with both the divorce decree signed by the family court and the retirement plan’s rules for distributions. QDRO Lawyer Adam Kielich has experience with retirement plan issues and QDRO drafting.

The difference between a well constructed QDRO and a generic order can be hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Few family lawyers have actual experience working with the retirement plans to make sure the order is drafted advantageously. A poorly drafted order may not meet the plan’s rules. Therefore the plan cannot divide the assets and pay them to the non-employee spouse (known as the “alternate payee”). This can cause delay in dividing the assets. If the plan cannot determine that the order meets the plan rules then the order is worthless. The plan cannot lawfully divide assets to the alternate payee until an order meets the plan rules.

Steps to divide a 401k or pension with a QDRO in a Dallas or Fort Worth divorce

Family court signs a divorce decree that includes the division of retirement plan assets.

The family court signs a Domestic Relation Order that commands the plan to divide the plan based upon a formula specified in the order.

The order is submitted to the plan for review and processing.

The plan administrator has up to 180 days to review the order and determine whether it meets the plan rules.

The plan administrator either qualifies the order and begins processing the division or rejects the order because it does not meet plan rules.

If the order is rejected the plan will not divide the account and you must return to court for the judge’s signature on a new order and resubmit it to the plan for review.

If the order is qualified by the plan administrator then the plan assets will be divided based on the order and distributed or assigned to the alternate payee based on the QDRO terms.

Other employee benefit plans, such as executive compensation and stock plans, can be segregated by a similar order but they do not have the Q in QDRO because the benefit plans are not qualified plans under ERISA and IRS regulations. These orders are also domestic relations orders (DROs) and the same issues can arise if these orders are not properly drafted. The rules on these plans may be even more complex than a 401k plan and require advanced understanding of ERISA and other benefit plan regulations to efficiently complete the division of these assets. I also have experience working with executive compensation plans and can assist in drafting these orders.

Need a QDRO in Texas?

The easiest way to prepare for an effective QDRO is to properly define the division of retirement plan assets during the divorce process so if you work with Fort Worth divorce lawyer Adam Kielich for your divorce, we can make sure the QDRO will gain approval by the plan.

We will discuss your needs for a QDRO or DRO for benefit plan assets while discussing strategy for your divorce.

However, if you decide to work through an uncontested divorce or complete your divorce without the assistance of a lawyer you may still need a QDRO drafted to divide the plan assets.

The Kielich Law Firm can assist you in drafting and filing the order. Contact my firm today to discuss your QDRO needs.

Hire QDRO lawyer Adam Kielich in Dallas County and Tarrant County

Even minor problems with QDROs can spiral into major problems and major headaches for everybody involved. The result is that lots of money and time is wasted in court trying to solve these problems. Although working with an experienced QDRO lawyer is no guarantee that the problems will melt away, working with an attorney experienced with QDRO issues can greatly improve the probability that your problems will be resolved in a more efficient manner. If you are dealing with a QDRO problem then you should contact QDRO lawyer Adam Kielich right away.

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The Kielich Law Firm

2205 Martin Dr., Suite 200-KBedford, Texas76021

Phone: 817.857.1123

Helping clients in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas as an employment lawyer and divorce lawyer.
This website is ATTORNEY ADVERTISING but not legal advice. The information on this website is informational. You should not rely on it instead of legal advice specific to your employment discrimination, wrongful termination, FMLA, divorce, QDRO, or child support situation. This website does not create an attorney-client relationship. Any information submitted through the website does not create an attorney-client relationship. An attorney-client relationship only exists after completing a fee agreement with The Kielich Law Firm. Not certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
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The information provided on this website is for informational purposes about employment attorneys and divorce lawyers. The content on this site is to explain the services provided by The Kielich Law Firm and to describe the law as it applies to Texas, specifically in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The legal information contained in this website is generalized and not specific to your situation or any other situation. It is not a substitute for the advice of lawyers. The information on this website is not legal advice. Viewing this website does not create an attorney-client relationship. You are responsible for the results of your use of the content provided on this site.